Development and Evaluation of a Three-Tier Diagnostic Test to Assess Undergraduate Primary Teachers’ Understanding of Ecological Footprint

Research in Science Education - This study focused on the development and validation of a three-tier multiple-choice diagnostic instrument about the ecological footprint. Each question in the...     

Junin Quechua Children's Understanding of Mind

2 tasks that examine the child's understanding of false belief, representational change, and the appearance-reality distinction were conducted among 34 4- to 8-year-old Junin Quechua children in Peru. A majority of children demonstrated an understanding of the appearance-reality distinction, though there was a clear improvement with age. Both younger and older children, however, performed poorly on questions that tested their understanding of representational change and false belief. These results raise questions as to whether or not thinking about thought and its relation to action develops in a similar manner in all cultures. If the Junin Quechua children's understanding of the appearance-reality distinction is grounded in the same representational ability that is necessary to understand one's own and another's misrepresentation of reality, then we must look for other factors that prevent them from performing correctly on tasks that test their understanding of false belief and representational change.     

An education for sustainable development self-efficacy scale for primary pre-service teachers: construction and validation

A scale was developed to assess primary school Teachers’ Self-Efficacy on Education for Sustainable Development (TSESESD). It includes four domains of competences: values and ethics, systems thinking, emotions and feelings, and actions. The scale development is consistent with key principles of educational and social psychology research. Nine hundred twenty-four (924) primary education student teachers and 88 in-service primary teachers participated in the study. Findings demonstrated that TSESESD has good psychometric properties, strong validity and reliability scores, adequate internal consistency (Cronbach α?=?0.97), and satisfactory mean inter-correlation of items within domains (M?=?0.78). TSESESD is considered a reliable instrument for teacher preparation programs aiming to develop primary school teachers’ self-efficacy in ESD.     

Sound–spelling consistency in adults' orthographic learning

Forty‐eight adults were trained on monosyllabic pseudowords and their meanings and then tested in vocal spelling. The orthographic inconsistency of the rime (e.g. orn, awn for ‘glorn’) and the number of learning trials affected accuracy and response latency in the vocal spelling test. In addition, orthographic typicality as assessed by neighbour statistics predicted item spelling accuracy. Spelling accuracy on orthographically consistent items significantly increased with training, suggesting that unfamiliar monosyllables are not necessarily spelled by reliance on sound–spelling correspondences at the rime level. Analysis of spelling errors revealed that good spellers made more spelling errors containing alternative rime spellings and fewer errors that were phonologically inappropriate than poor spellers.     

Viewing students consistently: how stable are teachers’ expectations?

ABSTRACT

Over the past 50 years, research has shown that teacher expectations can influence student outcomes. Many studies have examined within-year effects. There is, however, a paucity of research that has investigated the stability of teachers’ expectations across a single year, and there are no studies that have examined stability beyond 1 year. The current study examined the stability of 94 teachers’ expectations within 3 separate years and across 3 years in mathematics and reading. In both subject areas, teachers’ expectations remained relatively stable from beginning to end-of-year for each separate year and also across 3 years. Additionally, teachers who under- or overestimated their students by more than half a standard deviation continued to do so across all periods in the study. This was despite the teachers having different students each year. The study suggests that teachers view students’ capabilities similarly despite having different student cohorts.     

Reaction Cards as a Formative Evaluation Tool: Students' perceptions of how their use impacted classes

This article explores students' perceptions of how their input on 'reaction cards' affected their classes. Reaction cards - index cards upon which each student writes remarks related to each day's class activities - were used in 10 classes across seven disciplines as a means of formative evaluation. Open-ended survey questions about the reaction cards were completed anonymously by 195 students at mid-term and by 184 students at the end of the semester. Faculty also reported on how they used the cards and their perceptions of how the cards impacted their classes. At mid-semester, students indicated that the cards had a positive impact on their classes. The cards improved communication, increased students' involvement in the course, and improved their connection to the material. At the end of the semester there were some negative comments related to the tedium of filling out the cards in each class. Reaction cards can provide a simple but powerful tool for gathering data that can be used to modify and improve courses as they progress.     

Ineffective pathways and the price of conjecture

The inclusion of children with special educational needs into mainstream schools needs effort and cooperation by all those involved. Both educators and medical professions need to be skilled in identifying and supporting neurodiversity. This study explores the cross-professional understanding and support of four of the most prevalent neurodiversities: autism spectrum condition, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, developmental coordination disorder and dyslexia, to evaluate the efficiency of the diagnostic pathway and the subsequent support. Questionnaires were distributed throughout a number of training events for medical and educational practitioners asking what a condition was, and how it could be supported. Using a thematic analysis, data from 189 responses were examined and cross-referenced with diagnostic criteria, in addition to identifying the overarching themes of support. Results show a serious gap in awareness and knowledge of neurodiversity in both medical and educational sectors, followed by a cacophony of intervention, breaking the pathway for diagnosis before it begins and ultimately failing children and their families.